PINOT PARADISE

bySusanna Gaertner

Ever since Sideways ignited Pinot passion among the wine-drinking population, the Santa Cruz Mountain wine appellation has increased its love affair with this “heartbreaker” of a varietal.
Pinot is notoriously difficult to make, which means that wine-makers are eager to show off their prowess, as they did at the 4th annual Pinot Paradise.

Saturday’s self-guided tours of participating wineries were a delightful way to meet the winemakers on their own turf and appreciate their Pinots in a more relaxed setting. Alas, when it came to Sunday’s Pinot Paradise it rather turned into Pinot Inferno at the otherwise lovely Villa Ragusa in Campbell. The din was dreadful, certainly not conducive to appreciating the nuances of Pinot, which, with its finesse and delicacy, really does require a quiet ambience. Hordes of people stood five deep at most tables and conversation with the winemakers was impossible because of the overwhelming din. I know, respect, and admire the organizers of this event, but truth must be told, especially when one compares this year’s melee to the gem of an event it was last year. Even the food was impractical in presentation (hard to carry a plate when you’ve got a wine glass in the other hand) and unappealing after the first hour, with tables of eviscerated cheese wheels, shrimp hulls, and the unavoidable detritus of mass buffet-style service. It would have been far better to serve canapés: as much variety with none of the mess.
On the plus side, there were many fabulous Pinots to sample!

As always, Muccigrosso poured one of my favorites; they consistently deliver a lively, dark-fruit velvet of a Pinot and, at $35 a bottle, the 2005 is a winner (actually, it did win a Gold medal recently). If you want to secure some, act quickly, as only made 150 cases were made. (Note: I preferred the 2005 to the 2004.)

Also a winner: the Burrell School 2004 Veranda Pinot Noir ($38) with its big, earthy nose and palate-pleasing mélange of red and blue berries, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, all wrapped up in a mocha finish. Delicious! Again, act quickly if you want some: only 500 cases of this one.
Another perennial favorite is the Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Pinot; this year I favored the 2004 “Bailey’s” which won Gold from the SF Chronicle and is the embodiment of “Pinotness” in its SC Mountain incarnation: lots of deep red fruit melding gently with earthy spice over lean, soft tannins, and very reasonable at $32 a bottle.

The Wines of Vine Hill 2005 Cumbre Pinot Noir is a complex Pinot whose tannins could use the benefit of ageing. Superb cherry fruit with a violet edge and nutmeg aroma shows promise, but at $59 a bottle you might want to taste it first. Their tasting room is worth a visit: open and inviting with lively vineyard tours and an enthusiastic winemaker who will take you as far as you like into details of his vine and root-stock cloning experimentation (cf 10.17.07 interview with Sal Godinez by Laura Ness at appellationamerica.com).

A surprising find was the 2006 Black Ridge Pinot Noir ($39) which is ready to enjoy now but will be even better in a year: this one is bright and lively yet well-integrated for such a new vintage. They theorize that the wine’s success might be due to the San Andreas fault, which runs directly through their vineyard. “Fault lines are known to influence nutrient transport and aeration of the soil … it’s like grapes are meant to inhabit our property.” Or perhaps it’s due to the many crops grown here: grapevines originally planted in the late 1800’s were torn out during Prohibition and replaced with prune trees; these in turn were replaced by Christmas trees before morphing once more into a vineyard.

But the real stunner this year has to be Loma Prieta’s 2006 Pinot Noir with its luscious red fruit and an ideal balance of spice and silk, the hallmark of the best Pinots. You want that Pinot prickle but without cheap fruitiness, the elegance of solid structure but without tannins clanging in the finish. This one has a musicality that stays in tune long after you’ve swallowed. Outstanding.

Alas, that is all I could reach during the afternoon. So many people, so many Pinots! I am heartily glad of the rousing turn-out, for it shows the popularity of our Santa Cruz Mountain appellation Pinots, but I wish access to the wines had been easier and excessive noise brought under control.